Knife assembly for a fastener forming and inserting machine



June 21, 1966 J. G. WRIGHT ETAL 3,257,059

KNIFE ASSEMBLY FOR A FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 29, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN G. WRIGHT 6 R0) 5. SMITH 7 50 mv y June 21, 1966 J. a. WRIGHT ETAL 3,257,059

KNIFE ASSEMBLY FOR A FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 29. 63

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 8 M m M TH N T T. mm & m V R r mw fi .4 6 5. Y w 7 W9 B June 21, 1966 J. G. WRIGHT ETAL 3,257,059

KNIFE ASSEMBLY FOR A FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 29. 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 8 v! m w H mam w a m/% r N M .r w: 3% as Y WW I June 21, 1966 J. a. WRIGHT ETAL 3,257,059

KNIFE ASSEMBLY FOR A PASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 29. 19 3 4 Sheets-$heet INVENTORS 701M! 6. WEIGHT 8 P0? 5. SMITH M 6164M &

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United States Patent 3 257 059 KNIFE ASSEMBLY non A FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE John G. Wright and Roy E. Smith, Atlanta, Ga., assignors to The Auto-Soler Company, a corporation of Georgia Original application Jan. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 255,155. Divided and this application Apr. 15, 1965,Ser. No.

7 Claims. (Cl. 227-93) The present invention is a divisional application of copending application Serial No. 255,155, filed January 29, 1963.

This invention relates to machines of the type in which wire is fed in a continuous length from a reel supply to have fasteners formed successively therefrom, and in which each of the successively formed fasteners is driven or inserted in material to be secured as a following phase of a cyclic fastener forming and inserting operation.

More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a machine of the foregoing type that incorporates a unique rearrangement of the basic structural and operating relations to provide for the formation and insertion of much longer and heavier fasteners than has heretofore been possible with such machines.

Thus, the machine of the present invention is capable of forming fasteners from 8 or gauge wire in any length up to 5% inches, which is equivalent to a forty-penny length, and may accordingly be employed to exceptional advantage for nailing heavy-duty structures such as skids or shipping pallets or truck platforms; for producing housing sub-components of all sorts; and for use otherdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a left-side perspective view of a fastener forming and inserting machine according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the fastener forming and inserting machine of FIG. 1 with the front of the housing removed for illustration of machine components within the housing; 4

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of 'the knife assembly employed in the forming and inserting machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the forward portion of the knife assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the knife assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the composite knife block unit of the knife assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view through the wire feeding slot of the stationary blade component of the composite knife block unit of FIG. 6 showing the end of the supply of wire after cutting of a fastener length therefrom and prior to bending of the tip thereof; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the tip of the wire being bent toward the longitudinal axis of the wire.

In the illustrated embodiment, the basic arrangement comprises a frame structure, as indicated generally by the-reference numeral 10, which is preferably formed to provide a laterally extended throat portion at 12 for accommodating work of considerable breadth in a manner comparable to that disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,023,412, issued March 6, 1962. Forwardly andat the lower side of this throat portion 12, a Work supporting table 14 is arranged to carry work for insertion of fasteners upwardly therein against the clamping force of an overhead anvil 16, which is carried by the piston rod of a double-acting cylinder and piston unit 18 that is operated in the manner of an air motor to force the anvil 16 downwardly for work clamping action during fastener insertion, while maintaining it retracted upwardly so as to clear the work at other times. The anvil 16 and associated cylinder and piston unit 18 are hung from a supporting bracket 20 at the top of the frame structure 10 through a threaded shank 22 that is engaged by a handwheel 24 for adjusting the height of the anvil 12 above the work table'14 to suit the work being handled; the supporting bracket 20 being fitted with a binding screw at 26 that may be tightened for holding the threaded shank 22 at a selected adjustment.

The supply S of wire W that is to be fed to the machine is arranged at one side thereof on a reel structure as indicated generally at in FIG. 1, and feeding of the wire W is accomplished by a feed mechanism that is located adjacently on the frame structure 10 as indicated generally at 200 in FIG. 2. The fastener forming knife mechanism, which receives the feed wire W, is arranged directly below the work table 14 as seen at 300 in FIG. 2, and the cyclic fastener forming and inserting operations are actuated by a drive system that delivers through an operating shaft 400.

The reel structure 100 is disclosed in detail and claimed 7 i in copending application Serial No. 448,434 as a division of the aforementioned U.S. patent application Serial No. 255,155. The wire feeding mechanism 200 is disclosed in detail and claimed in copen-ding application Serial No. 448,764 as a division of the same US. patent application Serial No. 255,155. The fastener inserting mechanism and operation are disclosed in detail and claimed in the aforementioned copending US. patent application Serial No. 255,155 from which the present application is a division. A clutch means (shown at the right in FIG. 2) for controlling cyclical operation of the machine components is disclosed in detail and claimed in copending application Serial No. 448,473, also a division of US. patent application Serial No. 255,155.

The fastener forming knife mechanism 300, to which the wire feed mechanism 200 feeds the wire W is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 3-8, and is seen to include basically a composite knife unit 301 arranged in a mounting block 302 above the wire feed mechanism 200 and manipulated by an operating mechanism 303.

The composite knife unit 301 is composed of a stationary knife block 304 and a movable knife block 305 arranged as an operating pair on a common axial mounting stud 306 that extends through central bores 307 and 308 in the respective knife blocks 304 and 305. The knife blocks are retained on the stud 306 in operating relation to form the composite knife unit 301 by an enlarged head end 309 on the stud 306 at the movable knife block 305, and a threaded collar 310 that is secured by a pin 311 on the stud at the stationary knife block 304.

Further, the stud 306 is maintained in fixed relation with respect to the movable knife block 305 for oscillation therewith by a pair of dowel pins 312 extending into both the stud head 309 and movable knife block 305 parallel with the aXis of oscillation of the movable knife block. This fixing of the movable knife block 305 with the stud 306 provides alignment of a fastener receiving slot 313 extending centrally therethrough with a corresponding diametric slot 314 formedin the stud, thus providing a continuous passageway from which fasteners are driven by reciprocation of a plunger rod 340 of the aforementioned fastener inserting mechanism.

The stationary knife block 304 has a lower portion 315 extending into a recess 316 formed at the bottom of the movable knife block 305, and at which complementary inclined working surfaces 317 extend in mating relation concentrically with the axis of oscillation of the movable knife block 305' Also, the lower portion 315 of the stationary knife block 304 is formed with a wire feeding slot 318 offset and inclined radially to extend through its oscillation axis to an intersection with the inclined working surface 317 for alignment with the aforementioned fastener slot 314 of the movable knife block 305, which also intersects the working surfaces 317. Thus, when the movable knife block is oscillated to the wire receiving position shown in dash lines on the stationary knife block 304 of FIG. 6, the wire feeding slot 318 of the stationary knife block will be aligned with the fastener slot of the movable knife block for feeding of wire W by the wire feed mechanism 200 into the movable knife block 305 for subsequent forming of a fastener therefrom. Further, the stationary knife block 304 has a plunger guiding slot 319 centrally aligned with the fastener slot 313 of the movable knife block when the movable knife block is in its upright fastener inserting position.

Oscillation of the movable knife block 305 from its inclined wire receiving position to its vertical fastener inserting position, shown in full lines in FIG. 6, causes the wire W to be cut at the working surfaces 317 to form a fastener in the movable knife block slot 313, with the inclined working surfaces forming a pointed tip 320 at the leading end of the wire W remaining in the stationary knife block slot 313. This pointed tip 320 becomes the driving or leading tip of the next formed fastener, but due to the inclination of the working surfaces 317, this tip is initially formed at one side of the wire. To displace this initial sidewise disposition of the tip 320 so that it is aligned more nearly with the lengthwise axis of the wire W to serve better as the leading tip of the next fastener to be formed, the knife unit 301 is additionally arranged 'to reform this tip 320 as the movable knife block 304 is shifted to fastener inserting position.

For this purpose, the Wire feeding slot 318 in the stationary knife .block 304 is enlarged or recessed inwardly away from the working surface 317 adjacent its inner end and with a tapering configuration from this inner end (see FIG. 7). Cooperating with the recessed enlargement 321 in the wire feeding slot 318 is a protuberance 322 extending from the recessed portion 315 of the movable knife block 305 and aligned concentrically with the enlargement 321. When the movable knife block 305 shifts to its fastener inserting position, the protuberance 322 extends into the wire feeding slot 318 and forces the remaining end of the wire W into the recessed enlargement 321, with the result that the tip 320 of the wire W is forced against the taper 323 thereof and is bent thereagainst toward the longitudinal center line or axis of the wire to a substantially central disposition, as seen in FIG. 8.

The extent of tip bending by the protuberance 322 is made adjustable by forming the protuberance as the rounded end of a screw 324 mounted in a transverse threaded bore in the movable knife block 305. Thus, this screw 324 can be advanced or retracted to set the extent of bending for the degree of reforming needed at the tip 320. To accommodate the movement of the protuberance 322 as the movable knife block 305 oscillates, 'the stationary knife block 304 is formed with an arcuate recess 325 coinciding with the path of the protuberance 322 and extending slightly past the wire feeding slot 318.

The knife operating mechanism 303 utilizes an axial operating member in the form of a relatively large diameter operating shaft 326 mounted for oscillatipn in a bore of the aforementioned mounting block 302, which is secured to an intermediate platform of the machine frame 10. This operating shaft 326 has an enlarged head end 327 positioned in an enlarged open end 328 of the mounting block 302. This enlarged head end 327 is diametrically slotted transverse to the axis of rotation thereof as at 327' with the sides of the slot spaced to receive the movable knife block 305, and with the shaft 326 axially recessed thereat, as indicated by the reference numeral 327", to house and position the enlarged head 309 of the knife unit stud 306.

The stationary knife block 304 is held by a removable retaining plate 329 secured by bolts or otherwise across the open end 328 of the mounting block 302 and having a central offset portion 329' in which the stationary block component 304 is received; this offset portion 329' being centrally bored for receiving the collar 310 on the knife unit stud 306.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the top of the mounting block 302 is open to allow a generally flush disposition of the movable knife block 305 at the top surface of the work supporting table 14 mounted thereabove.

The operating shaft 326 is oscillated to actuate the composite knife unit 301 by an operating arm 330 having a collar portion 330' fixed on the end of the shaft member 326 that extends rearwardly from the mounting block 302. This operating arm 330 is arranged to extend laterally radially and is bifurcated for mounting of a connecting rod 331 on a pivot pin 332 extending across the bifurcated arm. The connecting rod 331 is positioned in a vertical guide member 333 secured to and extending downwardly from the intermediate platform of the machine frame 10 and having a channel 333' therein for guiding the connecting rod 331 to reciprocate vertically as a follower roll 334 follows an operating cam 335 carried by the previously mentioned operating shaft 400; the following relation being maintained by a bias spring 336 carried at the flanged head 337 of a rod member 338 that extends downwardly from the operating arm pin 332 to dispose the spring 336 against the underside of the intermediate platform of the frame structure 10.

The operating shaft 400 is rotated cyclically to effect operation of the knife mechanism 300 and other machine components by drive means (not shown) acting through the aforementioned clutch means shown at the right of FIG. 2.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a fastener forming and inserting machine, a knife assembly comprising a stationary knife block and a complementary movable knife block assembled therewith for relative oscillation to cut a fastener length from wire fed thereto and position the cut fastener length for driving insertion into a work piece, said knife block components being mounted on a common axial stud to compose said knife assembly, a shaft member carrying said movable knife block and journaled on the axis of oscillation thereof, said shaft member extending from said movable knife block along said axis of oscillation thereof, and means acting on the extending portion of said shaft member to oscillate said movable knife block.

2. In a fastener forming and inserting machine, a knife assembly according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said means for operating said shaft member comprises a radial operating arm fixed to said shaft member and cam means for rocking said operating arm to oscillate said movable knife block.

3. In a fastener forming and inserting machine for forming fasteners from a supply of relatively heavy wire and for driving the formed fasteners into work pieces to be secured thereby, a knife assembly comprising a composite knife unit having a stationary knife block component and a movable knife block component oscillatable with respect to said stationary knife block component for cutting a fastener length from the Wire fed thereto and positioning said out fastener length for driving insertion into a work piece, said knife block components being mounted on a common axial stud to compose said knife unit, said axial stud having an end portion extending from said movable knife block component, an ope-rating shaft arranged to receive said stud end portion coaxially and having an end thereofv slotted transversely for receiving said movable knife block component in keyed relation, slotted housing means for retaining said stationary knife block component in fixed position during oscillation of said movable knife block component, and means for 05- 1 cillating said shaft about its axis to cause oscillation of said movable knife block component.

4. In a fastener forming and inserting machine, the

structure defined in claim 3 and further characterized inthat said housing means is demountable for access to said knife unit so that it may be removed without disturbing said operating shaft.

5. A fastener forming knife'unit comprising a stationary knife block and a movable knife block assembled therewith for relative oscillation, said knife blocks having complementary working surfaces inclined with respect to the axis of oscillation and having complementary radial slots intersecting said working surfaces and cooperating in fastener forming position to cut wire in said slots diagonally to form a fastener point, the radial slot of said stationary knife block being enlarged to recess inwardly away from said inclined working surface adjacent the working surface end of said slot, said movable knife 3 block having a protuberance spaced from said slots in fastener forming position and aligned with the recess enlargement in the slot of the stationary knife block for abutment with a wire end in the slot of said stationary knife block, upon oscillation of said movable knife block, so as to force said wire end inwardly and cause the tip of the wire end to be bent by the form of said recess toward the longitudinal axis of said wire for subsequent driving into a work piece.

6. A fastener forming knife unit according to claim 5 and characterized further in that said protuberance is adjustable to vary the extent of inward displacement of said wire end into the recess of the stationary knife block and thereby vary the degree of said wire tip bending.

7. A fastener forming knife unit according to claim 5 and characterized further in that the surface of said stationary knife block is recessed in alignment with the path of said protuberance to accommodate movement thereof during oscillation of said movable knife block, and in that the abutting force of said protuberance is applied upon oscillation of said movable knife block to a position aligning said knife blocks for insertion of the fastener previously formed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1920 Goddu 227-93 X 8/ 1950 Wright et a1. 227-93 X FOREIGN PATENTS 781,017 8/1957 Great Britain. 

1. IN A FASTENER FORMING AND INSERTING MACHINE, A KNIFE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A STATIONARY KNIFE BLOCK AND A COMPLEMENTARY MOVABLE KNIFE BLOCK ASSEMBLED THEREWITH FOR RELATIVE OSCILLATION TO CUT A FASTENER LENGTH FROM WIRE FED THERETO AND POSITION THE CUT FASTENER LENGTH FOR DRIVING INSERTION INTO A WORK PIECE, SAID KNIFE BLOCK COMPONENTS BEING MOUNTED ON A COMMON AXIAL STUD TO COMPOSE SAID KNIFE ASSEMBLY, A SHAFT MEMBER CARRYING SAID MOVABLE KNIFE BLOCK AND JOURNALED ON THE AXIS OF OSCILLATION THEREOF, SAID SHAFT MEMBER EXTENDING FROM SAID MOVABLE KNIFE 